The Nauticalia Raft Race

This year we celebrate the 33rd annual Nauticalia Raft Race, on the Thames at Shepperton. It is on Saturday 8 June and is, we believe, one of the largest in the country featuring some 30 entries with more than 100 crew paddling the mile-long course between our head office and Shepperton’s Manor Park.

Prizes are awarded at the whim of the judges, and reflect the work that goes into the decoration and costumes as well as just speed, which makes for a spectacular event.

This year's theme is Flights of Fancy – anything that flies, from Dumbos to Jumbos. Of course, your raft (and costumes!) can be anything you want them to be – the more colourful and outlandish the better. There’s huge scope to let your imagination run wild, and we look forward to seeing all sorts of whacky aircraft making their way down the mile-long stretch of the Thames to the fair.

Teams put in a great deal of time and effort to create imaginative and spectacular crowd-pleasing rafts. Outright speed is not important - prizes are awarded according to the whim of the judges and may include “best dressed crew”, “most imaginative design”, “best business entry”, or “most elaborate raft”.

A huge amount of effort goes into the design and construction of the rafts, and thousands of people gather at the finish line. For more information, including how to enter your team into the race, download the Nauticalia Raft Race Entry Form.

The Nauticalia Raft Race is sponsored by Nauticalia, and organised by Desborough Sailing Club as part of the Shepperton Village Fair.